Pana-Pride

Regular readers of Frail Deeds know that I have a perfectly logical and intense pride in both my Favorite Daughter as well as my Favorite Panamanian. Yesterday that pride was further embellished and who thought that was even possible. As you may have heard, this is Hispanic Heritage Month and my daughter serves on an advisory council for the very large corporation she works for. That corporation holds a weekly mass zoom call celebrating employees with Hispanic roots during this month and an inadvertent comment by my daughter led to her being volunteered to conduct one of these presentations.

3 Generations of Panamanian Pulchritude

She enlisted her mother who initially freaked out at the prospect of talking to a large corporate audience although she couldn’t hide the sneaky pride she felt that her daughter wanted to celebrate both her and their shared Hispanic heritage. My wife, from the get go, made sure our kids never forgot they were half Panamanian. She insisted they learn Spanish despite being immersed in the overwhelming Norte Americano society. She also instructed them in the traditional folkloric dancing she was an expert in.

My Contribution

Deckzilla Transformed

The Stars of the Show

I’ll tell most of this story through the accompanying photos but it was yet another magical day out on Deckzilla yesterday, despite the best efforts of the street paving crew (yes – we finally have our driveway back). My wife and daughter have been coordinating over the past couple months over the content of the presentation and arrived at an agenda that included a brief history of Panamá and my daughter’s origins (the 3-day engagement story of her parents was told), a basic class on the steps in folkloric dancing, my wife doing a folkloric dance, describing a typical Panamanian meal, and answering any questions.

The Presentation Starts

Talking About Panamanian and Family History

The Dance Class

Bring on the Dancing Girls!

My daughter drove up Wednesday for the Thursday presentation. It broke our heart when the FBR heard this news on a prior FaceTime call and asked if she was coming also. It was nice however to have our daughter all to ourselves for a brief time. My daughter, wife, and mother-in-law all dressed up in Panamanian garb for the presentation. My wife and daughter in their “polleras” – the folkloric dance costumes. I was enlisted ahead of time to grind some corn since that was the extent of my “Panamanian-ness”. This is usually a task my Favorite Son handles but I filled in during his absence.

My Wife's Solo Dance

Tear Inducing

Bringing Back so Many Memories

As She Glided Across Deckzilla

They decorated Deckzilla with virtually everything Panamanian related that we owned. All three ladies looked fantastic for the presentation. My heart surged a little when I saw my wife in the same costume she wore when we were dating. She can still fit into it and the flashing eyes that captured a gringo still do that as well. We were concerned because the street paving crew had been working out front for most of the day with the nearly non-stop back up beeping alarms going on. My wife wandered out front in her costume to learn if they would be out of the way by the appointed hour.

The Food Portion

The Eyes Still Flash

Obviously an Inherited Trait

The noise was muted as they had moved down the hill by the time the event started. I was sitting carefully out of camera range once it started but inexplicably, I found my eyes filling with tears as I watched these two ladies begin to talk with pride about their Panamanian heritage. Again, overwhelming emotion at how lucky I’ve been blessed to have these two ladies in my life. The presentation went really well. I found my eyes filling up again when my wife started her solo dance because it brought back so many memories from our earliest days together.

Beautiful Post Presentation Portraits

Wife with her Mom

Special Ladies

My daughter had been nervous about the event but as soon as it was over she found herself showered with congratulatory emails from co-workers who were touched to see the three generations of Panamanian ladies together. Early this morning a senior VP for the company emailed my daughter to not only congratulate her but to say his 14-year-old daughter had also watched and was entranced, spending the evening doing the dance she had learned on the call for her family.

FBR Calls in with her Whoopie Pie

Impromptu Party with the Mafiosos

Both of my ladies felt a huge surge of relief when it was finally over but we couldn’t let it simply end. My had our neighborhood Panamanians join us as well for an after-presentation dinner featuring the food that was part of same. The Neighborhood Mafiosos and their daughter joined us for a fantastic time in the kitchen. They are the reason we ended up living in this neighborhood and never fail to bring their A-game when it comes to socializing; just the best. We were inside because when the sun went down the Panamanian aversion to temperatures below 70 kicked in. It was impromptu party which are usually the best kind. I certainly didn’t want it to end but we had two very tired ladies as well as a Red Sox playoff game to attend to. The FBR called in to check up on her mother during the gathering and proudly demonstrated she was eating one of the whoopie pies I had left for her in the freezer. I hope she grows up appreciating her Panamanian roots as much as her mom and abuela do.

And the Driveway is Back!

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RECURRING CHARACTERS                                           

BR3 – granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in Brooklyn